State law mandates the county pick up stray dogs. In previous years, Clark County paid the Humane Society Serving Clark County more than $200,000 annually to serve as both the dog wardens and to shelter and care for stray and lost animals. The county now employs the dog wardens directly and had paid the humane society about $80,000 a year to house the dogs they pick up.

The humane society then sent a letter to county commissioners informing them they could no longer take dogs from the dog wardens starting Sept. 1.

The Clark County Dog Shelter is located at 3673 Middle Urbana Road and only accepts dogs. The new shelter has a six-month lease with an option to extend it.

The future of the Humane Society is unclear, Clark County Administrator Jenny Hutchinson said. The wardens typically dropped off about 20 dogs per week.

Board Vice President Michael DeCourcy hasn’t returned multiple calls seeking comment. No one answered the phone at the Humane Society’s office. Last week, a post on the Humane Society’s Facebook page says it no longer has any dogs available for adoption.

Last month, DeCourcy told the Springfield News-Sun the Humane Society wasn’t closing, but had a contingency plan in place in case it did close, he said.

The Humane Society owns the building at 5201 Urbana Road, but it sits on Clark County’s land, Clark County Commissioner Rick Lohnes said. The lease was about $1 per year while the facility was operational, he said.

The Springfield News-Sun has covered disputes between the Humane Society Serving Clark County and the Clark County commission for more than a year, including stories digging into changes to the dog wardens and the county’s contract with the Humane Society.

About the Author

Popular in News

Reader Comments
...

Next Up in Politics

Despite the pleas from students across the country for Washington to do something about gun violence, the states seem to be ones listening. In the aftermath of a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that took the lives of 17 students, at least two states have moved to pass more stringent gun regulations. A handful of Republican governors — including...

Special counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for documents as part of his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and its possible ties to President Donald Trump and his associates, according to multiple reports. The subpoena is the first directly connected to one of Trump’s businesses...

Democrat Conor Lamb’s stunning victory Tuesday in a suburban Pittsburgh congressional district easily won in 2016 by President Donald Trump has convinced Democrats and some independent analysts the party has a chance to compete for at least two GOP seats in Ohio. Although Lamb apparently prevailed over Republican Rick Saccone by less than a thousand...

A Facebook post shared by a Springfield firefighter that the city says led to his firing contained a racial slur, and mocked school dropouts and McDonald’s employees. Bradley Baugh was fired on March 9 after only a few weeks with the Springfield Fire/Rescue Division, according to city records obtained by the Springfield News-Sun through a public...

In the aftermath of a whirlwind two-day trip to Puerto Rico, Rep. Brad Wenstrup will push for but the active duty and reservists to help assist in the rebuilding of Puerto Rico. Wenstrup, a Cincinnati Republican who serves on the House Veterans Affairs Committee and who is an Army Reservist, flew into Puerto Rico last Sunday for a field hearing on...